The present invention relates to a cooling structure for battery that is loaded in motor type vehicles such as a motor two-wheel vehicle.
In recent years, research and development of motor type vehicles irrespective of a two-wheel vehicle or a four-wheel vehicle are actively conducted for coping with an environment issue. Especially as for the four-wheel vehicle advantageous from a space aspect, there is an example that is already being put to practical use.
By the way, in such motor type vehicles, especially a motor two-wheel vehicle out of them, in which it is severely required to make a power supply thereof compact, is loaded with a high-performance battery such as a nickel-hydrogen battery, a nickel-cadmium battery and lithium ion battery. More particularly, first a module is obtained by connecting several cells to each other in series. Next, a predetermined number of these modules are closely accommodated within a hard case. And, finally, these modules are connected to each other in series to bring the above-described battery to completion. However, the battery having such a form has the following tasks:
A battery generates heat in charge and discharge regardless of its kind. This is also applied to the above-described battery constructed of a number of cells. However, even though heat values of the respective cells are equal to each other, a large temperature difference between the cells sometimes occurs. For example, a cell positioned on a side of a center of the case is apt to have heat more than a cell positioned on a side of a wall surface of the case. As a result, a considerable temperature difference occurs between both cells. And, this temperature difference makes charge condition of the cells non-uniform. In other words, the temperature difference between the cells causes performance reduction of the battery.
In addition, in order to suppress unnecessary temperature increase, there is a structure in which open air is blown upon a battery. Certainly, in this case, average temperature of the battery decreases. However, temperature of the open air introduced into the case gradually increases until it is discharged from the case. Accordingly, a cooling ratio by means of the open air never becomes uniform, and the above-described tasks, namely, the task that the performance of the battery is reduced due to the temperature difference between the cells cannot be substantially solved.
The objective of the present invention is to solve the above-described tasks.
Especially, the objective of the present invention is to provide a battery cooling structure capable of cooling a battery so that temperature of the whole thereof becomes uniform.
The above-described objective of the present invention is accomplished by a battery cooling structure for cooling a battery by open air, which is accommodated within a case, characterized in that the structure has:
said case;
first space and second space formed by partitioning space within said case, and adjacent to each other and interposing said battery therebetween;
a first introduction opening formed on a surface of said case, which is corresponding to a side of one end of said battery;
a first discharge opening formed on a surface of said case, which is corresponding to a side of the other end of said battery, for discharging said open air introduced into said first space from said first introduction opening after said open air has passed an inside of said first space;
a second introduction opening formed on a surface of said case, which is corresponding to a side of the other end of said battery; and
a second discharge opening formed on a surface of said case, which is corresponding to a side of one end of said battery, for discharging said open air introduced into said second space from said second introduction opening after said open air has passed an inside of said second space, and
a plurality of said batteries are accommodated in said cases in parallel condition, and
a plurality of unit cooling systems consisting of said first space and said second space adjacent to each other and interposing said batteries therebetween are provided in said cases, and further,
said adjacent unit cooling systems are constructed so as to mutually share said first space or said second space.
In addition, it is preferable that the battery cooling structure of the present invention has
two of said case, and
by making said cases adjacent to each other, and further, connecting said first discharge opening in one of said cases to said second introduction opening in the other of said cases, and
by connecting said first discharge opening in the other of said cases to said second introduction opening in one of said cases,
the structure is constructed so that
the open air introduced from said first introduction opening in one of said cases is discharged from said second discharge opening in the other of said cases, and
the open air introduced from said first introduction opening in the other of said cases is discharged from said second discharge opening in one of said cases. Thereby, high space efficiency can be realized, and at the same time, capacity of the battery can be made larger.
Moreover, the objective of the present invention is accomplished by a battery cooling structure for cooling a battery by open air, which is accommodated within a case, characterized in that space within said case is partitioned into first space and second space adjacent to each other and interposing said battery therebetween, and
the structure is constructed so that
open air introduced into said first space from a first introduction opening formed on a surface of said case, which is corresponding to a side of one end of said battery, is discharged from a first discharge opening formed on a surface of said case, which is corresponding to a side of the other end of said battery, after the open air has passed an inside of said first space, and
open air introduced into said second space from a second introduction opening formed on a surface of said case, which is corresponding to a side of the other end of said battery, is discharged from a second discharge opening formed on a surface of said case, which is corresponding to a side of one end of said battery, after the open air has passed an inside of said second space, and further,
a plurality of said batteries are accommodated in said cases in parallel condition, and
a plurality of unit cooling systems consisting of said first space and said second space adjacent to each other and interposing said batteries therebetween are provided in said cases, and further,
said adjacent unit cooling systems are constructed so as to mutually share said first space or said second space.
In addition, also in the battery cooling structure of the present invention, it is preferable that the structure has
two of said case, and
by making said cases adjacent to each other, and further, connecting said first discharge opening in one of said cases to said second introduction opening in the other of said cases, and
by connecting said first discharge opening in the other of said cases to said second introduction opening in one of said cases,
the structure is constructed so that
the open air introduced from said first introduction opening in one of said cases is discharged from said second discharge opening in the other of said cases, and
the open air introduced from said first introduction opening in the other of said cases is discharged from said second discharge opening in one of said cases. Thereby, high space efficiency can be realized, and at the same time, capacity of the battery can be made larger.
Also, it is preferable that the battery cooling structure of the present invention further has a partition plate, and said partition plate is used together with said battery for a partition of the space within said case, and further said partition plate is constructed so as to support said battery. In this manner, compared with a case where a member for partition use and a member for supporting a battery are made of members separate from each other, it is possible to reduce the number of components and an assembly load. As a result, cost reduction can be realized.
Further, in the battery cooling structure of the present invention,
it is preferable that, on upper and lower outer surfaces of said cases, convex sections for receiving a part of said battery to be placed within said cases are formed, and
said cases are piled up and down so that said convex sections formed on a side of the other of said cases are positioned within a concave section between said convex sections formed on a side of one of said cases. In other words, it is preferable that said cases are piled up and down alternately. In this manner, in piling the cases up and down, it becomes possible to save dimensions of the obtained piled body, especially a height dimension thereof. Also, positional stability of the batteries within the cases is drastically improved.
And further, in the battery cooling structure of the present invention, it is preferable that the structure further has a duct in which means for sending open air under pressure is provided, and said first introduction opening is connected to said duct, and
an end section opening on a side where open air is introduced in said duct, and said second discharge opening formed in said case are connected to each other by a tube body for circulation, and
said tube body for circulation is constructed so as to, if necessary, eject discharged air from said second discharge opening into the atmosphere and supply open air to said duct. By adopting such an arrangement, the battery cooling structure of the present invention effects the following advantages especially during cold, namely under situation where the batteries are cooled:
As known well, the batteries cannot exhibit their desired performance if their temperatures are too low. Accordingly, in using them, it is desirable that the temperatures of the batteries rapidly increase to an optimum value. For this, as described above, the discharged air from said second discharge opening may be supplied to the duct using the tube body for circulation. Namely, it may be internally circulated. In other words, since the temperature of the discharged air from this second discharge opening is higher than the atmosphere, it is possible to make the temperatures of the batteries increase rapidly rather than introduction of fresh open air.
Furthermore, by doing this, it is possible to make the temperatures of the batteries increase rapidly without generating a temperature difference between the batteries. As a result, it becomes possible to make the batteries exhibit desired performance extremely rapidly.
In addition, after the batteries reach an optimum temperature, of course, the discharged air from the second discharge opening becomes to be ejected into the atmosphere. Then, instead of this, low temperature fresh open air is supplied.
In the light of the above points, the above-described objective of the present invention is accomplished by a battery cooling structure for cooling a battery by open air, which is accommodated within a case and constructed by connecting a plurality of cells to each other in series, characterized in that the structure has:
said case;
first space and second space formed by partitioning space within said case, and adjacent to each other and interposing said battery therebetween;
a first introduction opening formed on a surface of said case, which is corresponding to a side of one end of said battery;
a first discharge opening formed on a surface of said case, which is corresponding to a side of the other end of said battery, for discharging said open air introduced into said first space from said first introduction opening after said open air has passed an inside of said first space;
a second introduction opening formed on a surface of said case, which is corresponding to a side of the other end of said battery; and
a second discharge opening formed on a surface of said case, which is corresponding to a side of one end of said battery, for discharging said open air introduced into said second space from said second introduction opening after said open air has passed an inside of said second space, and
there are two of said case with the cases adjacent to each other, and further, by connecting said first discharge opening in one of said cases to said second introduction opening in the other of said cases, and connecting said first discharge opening in the other of said cases to said second introduction opening in one of said cases, the structure is constructed so that the open air introduced from said first introduction opening in one of said cases is discharged from said second discharge opening in the other of said cases, and the open air introduced from said first introduction opening in the other of said cases is discharged from said second discharge opening in one of said cases, and
a plurality of said batteries are accommodated in said cases in parallel condition, and a plurality of unit cooling systems consisting of said first space and said second space adjacent to each other and interposing said batteries therebetween are provided in said cases, and said adjacent unit cooling systems are constructed so as to mutually share said first space or said second space, and further,
a spacer, and a pair of said batteries piled up and down via said spacer are used in a partition of the space within said cases, and said batteries are supported within said cases with the batteries interposed between inner surfaces of said cases and said spacer, and
on upper and lower outer surfaces of said cases, convex sections for receiving a part of said batteries to be placed within said cases are formed, and said cases are piled up and down so that said convex sections formed on a side of the other of said cases are positioned within a concave section between said convex sections formed on a side of one of said cases.
Now, in case of adopting the above structure, open air is introduced into the first space and the second space adjacent to each other and interposing the battery therebetween in directions opposite to each other, respectively. And, this introduced open air cools the battery, and on the other hand, is gradually warmed up, and finally, is discharged in directions opposite to each other. By the way, between a flow distance of the open air introduced into the case and a temperature of the introduced open air at a position corresponding to the flow distance, basically a linear relationship is established. In other words, a temperature gradient along a flow path of the introduced open air is almost constant. And, these temperature gradients are completely reversed on a side of the first space and on a side of the second space. Accordingly, a total value of heat that is cooperatively absorbed by the open air introduced in directions opposite to each other from a part of the battery is always constant regardless of a distance from the open air introduction opening. Therefore, a high temperature part and a low temperature part do not occur in the battery. Especially for a battery constructed by connecting a plurality of cells to each other in series, a temperature difference between the cells does not occur. In other words, by adopting the battery cooling structure of the present invention, it becomes possible to cool the battery efficiently so as to make the temperature of the whole thereof uniform. Therefore, the task of the performance reduction of the battery due to the temperature difference does not occur.